Chapter Thirteen
ORAZIO
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Orazio Cattaneo's eyes narrowed as he followed the nervous host down the dimly lit hallway. Nearing the door, Orazio couldn't shake his suspicion that something wasn't right. The host was wringing his hands together and looking nervous as hell.
It could be because he'd just witnessed four men get killed. Or it could be because there was another trap lying in wait for them, and the host didn't want to get caught in the crossfire. When they reached the door, Orazio held up his hand, signaling for his crew to stop. They froze in place, awaiting his order.
The host stepped to the side and gestured to the door, letting him know it was the correct one. Just because this was the right door didn't mean it was safe for them to enter. Orazio sent a murderous glare at the host, who could only hold his gaze for a few seconds before looking away. Hell no, Orazio wasn't just about to waltz in there like a fool.
Leaning close to the door, he listened for any sounds of danger on the other side, like ticking, a tell-tell sign that a bomb was attached to the door. Silence greeted him, but it did nothing to alleviate his suspicions. Orazio faced the host, who was visibly sweating under his scrutiny.
"Open the door and go in first," Raz commanded.
The man looked like he wanted to protest but thought better of it. Instead, he stepped forward and fumbled with the handle, his trembling fingers struggling to turn it. Finally, the door swung open. The host stepped into the room and then moved aside so Raz could enter.
Orazio strode into the meeting room with his crew close behind him. All eyes turned in his direction. The men seated around the table stared at him in shock, clearly taken aback by his sudden arrival.
Among them was Orazio's uncle, Patrick Cattaneo, who sat at the head of the table, looking annoyed by Raz's appearance. That look turned into one of anger when his gaze landed on Bryce. His uncle quickly looked away from his son. But Raz didn't miss the flicker of fear in Patrick's eyes.
"Orazio, what an unexpected surprise," Patrick drawled, voice dripping with false warmth. "What brings you here, nephew ?"
"Family business, uncle ," Orazio replied, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
He recognized a few of the men at the table. Board members of Cattaneo Corp . Some of the people he felt like he'd seen before, but he couldn't recall their names. However, there was one face that didn't belong with this group of businessmen.
And that was Mr. Tatum. He wasn't a part of their family's business. Yet, there he sat, looking smug as fuck. Orazio gritted his teeth to keep from putting a bullet in that bitch's head. Patience, Orazio. First, find out why they had this secret emergency meeting.
"You said you're here for family business, nephew. But I've never seen you at any of our board meetings. I'm shocked to see you here now. It's not that I'm unhappy to have you here. But when did these meetings become a family affair?" Patrick asked, attempting to regain control of the situation and hush the murmured whispers rising from the men gathered around the table.
"Since my father isn't here," Orazio shot back, his eyes narrowing. "It seems only right that his sons sit in for him. Or did my father's presence go unnoticed? Or maybe, like us, he didn't get an invite."
That silenced the whispers, but the glares cast his way would make a weaker man tremble. It was a good thing Orazio feared no man. However, he could practically taste their fear and unease.
It hung heavy in the air like a thick fog. These motherfuckers had been comfortable when they'd thought they could gather in secret under the protection of his uncle Patrick. Now that the lion had entered the den, the hyenas feared being eaten.
"Very well, then," Patrick conceded with a tight smile, gesturing toward the empty seats. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. However, there are only two seats. Someone will have to stand. Will you stand so your brothers can sit, Orazio?"
Says the man seated in my father's seat.
No matter where the meeting was held, the seat at the head of the table was reserved for the president of the company. Yet, his uncle was relaxed in that seat like the title belonged to him.
It was clear that his uncle wasn't only trying to be the don of the family. He wanted to be the president of the Cattaneo Corporation also. Orazio glanced over at Leo, who nodded in understanding before stepping out of the room.
Moments later, Leo returned, carrying two extra chairs. Raz didn't miss the tick in his uncle's jaw. He and his brothers took their seats while Leo and Bryce stood behind their chairs.
Raz looked up at Bryce and said, "Cousin, there's a chair for you."
With his eyes on his father, Bryceson shook his head and said, "Not yet. But there will be soon."
There was that flicker of fear in Patrick's eyes again. Patrick feared his son. Good . He should, after all the shit he'd done to Bryce.
Leaning back in his seat, Orazio said, "Now that my brothers and I have a seat at the table, shall we restart the meeting?"
No one uttered a word. Rome wasted no time pulling a black laptop from his bag and placing it on the table, breaking the tense silence in the room. The sound of Rome's fingers clicking across the keyboard echoed around the room until Uncle Patrick spoke up.
Smirking, Patrick said, "It looks like you all came prepared."
"So did you, apparently," Raz replied.
"Since you seem intent on being involved in this meeting, perhaps you'd care to share your thoughts on the matter at hand," Patrick suggested.
"To do that, I first need to know what this meeting is about." Raz stared around the table. "What was so important that you all had to call an emergency meeting and hold it off company grounds?"
None of them were willing to meet his gaze. Their eyes dropped to the table or to the folders before them.
Patrick chuckled, but the sound was devoid of any real humor. "It's normal for boards to meet outside the company. We all need a change of scenery sometimes. Right?" he asked, staring at his bobbleheads around the table, who quickly nodded, agreeing with him. "Since this is your first meeting with us, let me fill you in on the history of the Cattaneo Corporation, nephew ."
Raz clutched his hands into fists while praying for patience. However, the urge to punch his uncle in the face was strong. So, fucking strong . His uncle knew Raz and his brothers had been taught the history of their family and their businesses at a young age.
This little act was just to show the board members that Patrick was the one with authority and knowledge. How would they feel if Raz put a bullet in his uncle's head and let all his knowledge spill out on the table? Raz took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Violence wasn't the answer. Not yet.
"You see, the Cattaneo Corporation wasn't always the powerhouse it is today. It took blood, sweat, and tears to build it from the ground up. And while your father played a crucial role, it was the collective efforts of the board that truly shaped our empire."
"Is that so?" Orazio asked, his jaw clenched. He knew better than to buy into Patrick's twisted version of events, but for now, he'd play along.
"Absolutely," Patrick continued, a smug grin spreading across his face. "The board has always held the reins, guiding the company through its many successes and navigating treacherous waters when necessary. After all, it's the board that holds the ultimate power, not any single president or vice president."
"Interesting," Orazio mused.
This newfound emphasis on the board's importance was clearly a thinly veiled power play, and he'd be damned if he let his uncle wrest control of the family business from his father. That board shit may be important in other companies. But Cattaneo Corp was no ordinary company. His father was a fucking don, not some ordinary CEO.
"Indeed," Patrick agreed, his eyes narrowing as he gauged Orazio's reaction. "Now that you understand the significance of the board, I trust you'll respect our decisions going forward."
"I'm just curious about how you all plan to make decisions without the president present?" Raz said. "Or, as his son, do I get to cast my vote in his place? And since there are three sons present, do each of our votes count separately, uncle?"
"I said you could listen in, maybe provide feedback. I never said you could vote," Patrick drawled.
"I see no reason why I shouldn't, considering my father is the president."
Uncle Patrick leaned forward in his seat. "It seems we failed in educating the young generation properly. Yes, your father is the current president. But remember, it was my grandfather who started the Cattaneo Corporation. And it was my father who sought investors when the businesses started declining."
No , Raz thought to himself. Grandfather considered approaching investors only after he encountered problems with the IRS. Problems the consigliere hadn't been able to get around because an enemy had reported them.
Grandfather had sought investors when he needed clean money to fund the business and didn't want the IRS looking into other Cattaneo businesses where dirty money was being used. The investors provided a clean paper trail, nothing more.
And all the men in this room knew that. They knew they were simply clean money to the Cattaneo family. And the relationship was mutually beneficial. Their clean money had made them richer over the years, thanks to the Cattaneo family.
It wasn't their job to complain about the president. They were just puppets. Or had Patrick been working his endgame in the background for years, making these men believe they were more valuable than they actually were?
That was a possibility. His uncle continued teaching Raz how the business worked. And Raz didn't interrupt his uncle. He let him continue talking his fairy tale shit. When Raz started to talk his real shit, he hoped his uncle would show him the same respect.
"Those first investors who stepped in to help my father are our major shareholders, and they make up the board. Some have passed their memberships on to their sons, which is why there are some new faces at the table today."
Patrick gestured towards the men seated around the table. Raz didn't spare them a second glance. He was almost one hundred percent sure Rome was currently looking into them. The sound of Rome's fingers clicking away at the keyboard was the soundtrack to this meeting.
"It was the board who appointed father as the president after giving him the capital to get the Cattaneo Corporation running smoothly," Patrick continued. "They could've made him the vice president or an official board member. They had the authority to do so. But they trusted him with the company and their money. So, they made him the president of Cattaneo Corporation."
As if grandfather would've accepted any other role.
"I know this may sound foreign to you. You and your brothers, along with my son, only manage the casinos and some of the smaller businesses that do not fall under the Cattaneo Corporations umbrella. But as for the bigger businesses, those with board members who aren't just our family members, things work differently."
His uncle was right about that. Raz's businesses were easier to manage because he didn't have to deal with this type of bureaucratic shit.
"When my father passed the corporation to my brother," Patrick drawled. "He, too, knew he had to answer to the board. He knew that though he was the president, he was not above the board. Right now, the board has questions for him. But none of us have been able to reach the president. Does that seem like acceptable behavior for a president?" Patrick asked.
"Before we discuss what's acceptable for a president, first tell me why the meeting was called in the first place. What did the president do to force you to call a meeting?"
"I like your word choice, nephew. And you are right. We were forced to do this. I didn't want this. I still don't."
Bull motherfucking shit!
It was taking everything in him to keep his cool. Next to him, he felt Cas tapping his foot on the floor. His brother was also trying not to snap. How long would they be able to keep their tempers in check? Raz's guess was not much longer.
"So, you all have complaints about the president?" Raz drawled. Members of the board nodded. "May I hear them?" Raz asked.
Their gazes jerked to Patrick, who nodded his head, giving them permission to speak. That gesture only pissed Raz off more and proved that Patrick already had a hold over these men. The question was, did they listen to him out of respect or fear? Raz didn't know yet.
Either way, these men were on his uncle's side. His father didn't stand a chance with the entire board against him. Luckily, Raz didn't give a damn about this board or their money. And soon, he would show them that.
The members took turns speaking out against his father, each listing a reason why his father was unfit to be president. As the meeting progressed and the board members continued to disrespect his father's leadership, Orazio found himself walking a dangerous tightrope between restraint and violence.
Every word spoken against his dad fueled his desire to make them all pay. He could be angry with his dad. He could want to make his father pay for what he'd done to Monique. He could question his dad's business decisions and life decisions.
But these bitches didn't have that right. They'd never done so in the past. They were only doing so now because Patrick had given them the balls to do so. Once those balls were chopped off, that bravery would disappear.
Then they'd go back to quietly making money behind the scenes. After they finished listing their reasons why his father should step down as president, Patrick spoke up again.
"Perhaps it's time for a change in leadership," Patrick muttered before sighing, his voice dripping with false concern. "We all agree that a Cattaneo should be at the helm, but maybe our current president is... how do I put this delicately? No longer fit for the role."
The board members murmured their agreement. Orazio clenched his fists beneath the table, his knuckles turning red. A storm brewed inside Orazio, threatening to unleash its fury at any moment.
"Who exactly does the board think would be a better fit, Uncle ?" Orazio asked, his voice deceptively calm even as anger roiled within him.
Patrick's lips curled into a wicked smile. The kind one wore when they believed they held all the cards. Having all the cards wasn't a good thing when the game was chess, not poker.
"That's what we're voting on today, nephew. I'm sorry, since you're not an official board member, your vote doesn't count."
"If this is a board meeting, why is Mr. Tatum here?" Raz asked, glaring at Tatum.
Patrick cleared his throat before responding. "Mr. Tatum is here as a witness to add validity to our claims."
"Oh, really?" Orazio growled through gritted teeth. "I can't wait to hear what the esteemed Mr. Tatum has to say."
Orazio's eyes flicked to Cas, who glared at Mr. Tatum with murderous intent. Slowly, Raz rose from his seat, every muscle in his body tense, ready to strike. He began walking around the room as the board members' eyes tracked his every movement.
"Mr. Tatum," Orazio said as he began to circle the table. "What proof do you have that our father is unfit to be president?"
Tatum hesitated for a moment before launching into a list of accusations, each one more outrageous than the last. According to Tatum, president Cattaneo used criminal means to gain a few of the newer businesses under the Cattaneo Corp umbrella.
He'd also murdered a few businessmen in order to attain their businesses. If investigated, Mr. Tatum feared the entire Cattaneo Corp would go down with the president. Orazio wanted to ask, what the fuck does that have to do with you? But he kept silent in order to keep his cool.
There was only one way Mr. Tatum could know all this secret info. Uncle Patrick had to have told him. Uncle Patrick had given their enemy intel on his own brother. For that, Orazio would never forgive him.
For that, the family would never forgive him. By doing so, Patrick had ruined his chances of ever becoming don. Their family didn't like snitches. Neither Orazio nor Bryce would have to worry about making Uncle Patrick pay for what he'd done.
Their other uncles and cousins would handle that for them as soon as Orazio filled them in on what had gone down today at this meeting. As Orazio walked around the table, his eyes never left his target, Tatum's bitch ass .
"Furthermore," Tatum continued, oblivious to the danger closing in on him. "The president tried to cover up the misdeeds of his son."
Raz's gaze snapped to Cas, who looked like a caged animal, ready to pounce and tear Tatum apart.
Gritting his teeth as he neared Tatum's chair, Orazio demanded, "What misdeeds?"
"Ah, w-well," Tatum stammered, opening the folder before him and pulling out a sheet of paper. "I have proof that Caspari Cattaneo assaulted my daughter, and the president covered it up by..."
Before Tatum could finish, Raz's hand shot out, gripping the back of the man's head and slamming it onto the table with a deafening thud. The entire surface shook, causing glasses to rattle and papers to scatter.
"Is that proof of my brother and father's misdeeds or proof that your daughter is a lying bitch?" Orazio snarled, his grip still tight on the back of Tatum's head.
A board member seated across from Tatum shot to his feet, outrage burning in his eyes.
"Stop! Before we call in our guards," the man shouted. "You're proving his point right now! You're proving that the current president and his sons are unfit to lead."
Without hesitation, Orazio drew his gun and fired at the complaining board member, striking him in the arm. Blood seeped between the man's fingers as he clutched his wounded arm, shock, and pain replacing the outrage in his gaze.
Chairs scraped across the floor as board members prepared to rush from the room. Leo moved to stand in front of the door, preventing anyone from leaving. The members remained seated, looking to Patrick for help.
But all Patrick could do was glare at his son, Bryce, who had his gun pointed at his father. From the look in his uncle's eyes, Raz knew his uncle was afraid and truly believed Bryce would fire his weapon. The room went dead silent, the tension thick enough to choke on.
"Now, let's start this meeting over. Let me introduce myself. My name is Orazio Cattaneo. That's my brother Roman Cattaneo and our baby brother Caspari Cattaneo. We're the sons of Cattaneo Corporation's president. We're the sons of the don of the Cattaneo family. And we didn't come here to discuss removing the president. We came here to see who was loyal to my father and who wasn't. Can you guess what we'll do to those who aren't loyal? And trust me, it doesn't involve a vote. Because no matter what my uncle led you to believe, Cattaneo Corporation is not run by its board members. It belongs to the Cattaneo family. And there will be no taking your investments out or selling your shares and leaving the corp. You either get rich with us and follow our rules, or you die. Choose now before I continue the meeting," Orazio drawled, still holding Tatum's head against the table.
The mood in the room had changed. Orazio could see it in their eyes. They finally understood who they were dealing with. They finally understood that Patrick Cattaneo wasn't the one they should fear.
Orazio Cattaneo was the one they needed to be afraid of.